Queensland's Planning Minister says she will intervene in a controversial development as part of plans to build a million homes in the next 20 years. 

An abandoned golf course in the middle of the Gold Coast has become a focal point of the state's housing crisis. 

The local council rejected plans to divide the site into 380 lots that could eventually house 1,200 people. 

But Planning Minister Meaghan Scanlon said it's not an "efficient and effective use of the land".

She said she plans to use a special planning instrument over the land to encourage a minimum of 20 per cent social and affordable housing on the site. 

Ms Scanlon said she may also join a court case contesting the development to "protect state interest involved".

She said she wanted to see better environmental protections. 

"I'd also like to see a slightly smaller footprint, but greater housing diversity, so more affordable housing, and probably slightly higher density than what they had originally proposed," she said.

She said she intended to "pull every lever" to unlock housing supply.

"I've asked all councillors to update their planning schemes and where I see there are opportunities, I will step in where I think we need to to make sure that we unlock more affordable housing faster," she said.

The Melbourne-based owners of the Arundel site, 3 Group, have declined to comment.

The minister's decision comes after she proposed to use special "call in" powers to override council's refusal of the project. 

They enable the government to take over decision-making on development applications in "exceptional circumstances".